Prion infection relies on a continuous chain of PrPc -expressing tissues to spread from peripheral sites to the central nervous system (CNS). Direct neuroinvasion via peripheral nerves has long been considered likely. However, the speed of axonal flow is incompatible with the lengthy delay prior to the detection of PrP Sc in the brain. We hypothesized that Schwann cells could be the candidate implicated in this mechanism; for that, it has to express PrP c and to allow PrP

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